The romance and fantasy lover in me was elated with this book! The world building and unique characters kept me captivated and entertained. There is a lot going on but it is manageable in the manner in which Mulford writes this exquisite tale. I hope there is more to come in the future but for now, I whole-heartedly recommend this one!

I’m brand new to the fantasy genre. Historically, I’ve stuck with horror and thrillers. Ever since I read Fourth Wing, I’ve been craving more like it-or better.

I’m thrilled to say that I enjoyed this novel immensely! A sleeping beauty retelling with more grit-and Wolves.

Calla and Briar are twins. They were raised by a fairy that promised their mother to keep them safe as her last dying wish. Calla and Briar’s parents were royalty. Before they died, they betrothed Briar to the prince of another kingdom to keep their bloodline alive.

The dark side of this story is that their mother was murdered on the night of their birth by an evil sorceress, determined to steal the throne. The sorceress has no idea that Calla exists. The fairy protected the secret existence of Calla and her sister, Princess Briar, from being put to death by the same hand. But now that Briar is of age to marry, Briar must walk towards the sound of wedding bells. Towards the hands of evil. On the night of the wedding, Briar is attacked by the evil sorceress and the same curse her mother wrought leaves her in a deep, everlasting sleep.

Calla steps out of the shadows determined to avenge her sister, the death of her parents, and to take over the throne to the kingdom she was meant to lead.

This novel is so entertaining, interesting, and unique! I would gladly recommend this to others searching for the same type of read I was. The world of shifting wolves and magic was thoroughly addicting.

A great thank you goes out to A.K. Mulford, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a romantasy fan, this is a book you should definitely read, it was so soft and so swoony 😭 plus there's an amazing political intrigue plot set at the forefront of a Sleeping Beauty retelling! Also! Gender fluid rep, which was done so well! And found family! And a fated mates + childhood bffs to lovers main romance!

I can't wait for book 2, I need more of this world 🥲

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

4.5 stars
Wow! I’ve never read a fantasy that included wolves and I found that refreshing from the normal fae and dragon fantasies I’ve read. Cue in evil sorceress with a sleeping curse, monsters, and unlikely company.

"A River of Golden Bones" is a wonderful adventurous telling of a wolf shifter who undergoes self-discovery while fighting for her fallen kingdom. The writing is beautiful, and the world-building is very easy to follow. I did not find the pacing of the writing to be slow, but perfect.

If you’re into the found family and fated mates troupe, this is definitely for you! Slow-burning spice involved.

I would recommend this book and plan on purchasing it and its sequel. I thoroughly loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Author, and Publisher for the ARC!

Fantastic book! I couldn't put this book down after about chapter 3!! Great great job A.K!!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I originally wanted to pick this up because the cover was so pretty. I knew nothing about the book but I knew I wanted to read it. It didn't disappoint. I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

A powerful tale of the importance of embracing your true self and fighting for what is right, regardless of how you were raised.

Calla and Briar Marriel have lived in hiding their whole lives. The last surviving members of the Golden Wolf pack, the two sisters have grown up knowing only two things. One: that Briar, the Crimson Princess, was destined to wed Grae, the heir of the Silver Wolf Pack and claim her place as Queen of Olmdere. And two: Calla would protect her sister to the ends of the earth and use her sword in whatever manner was necessary to secure their Kingdom once more.

And yet something is missing. Calla has always viewed herself through the shadow of her twin, never feeling like she belonged. As the day of Briar's arranged marriage to the prince of the Silver Wolf pack quickly approaches, the two twins leave the only home they have ever known and step forward into the unknown, ready to fulfill the roles assigned to them at birth.

But when King Nero shows his true colors and the sorceress who stole their kingdom and murdered their parents returns and curses Briar to a never ending sleep, Calla will find everything she has ever known in question. As she sets out for Olmdere, determined to save her twin at any cost, she will launch herself on a journey of discovery and maybe, just maybe, she will finally find where she belongs.

Wow. What an absolutely beautiful and moving novel. From the outset of this story, I was immediately hooked. The characters are compelling, the world is rich and detailed, and the overarching plot has every single element I want in a fantasy novel. From thrilling combat scenes, to heart wrenching moments of joy and pain, sadness and anger, I never once felt bored while reading.

Ms. Mulford handles their worldbuilding in a such a way that the reader never feels overwhelmed. The vital information is doled out carefully and gradually and really builds as the story progresses, easily leaving the reader entranced and hooked. Ms. Mulford really knows just what to say and how to say it in order to make the reader care about every little detail.

Calla's journey towards self discovery is a journey that is all too familiar to too many people. The feeling of not knowing who you are and where you belong. The feeling of stuffing yourself into the mold you are expected to fit and knowing that if you are finally able to achieve such a feat that you won't be whole any longer. This journey was handled with such grace and care. When Calla finally found where she belonged, I wanted to so badly to tell her yes, welcome home!

The supporting characters were also so well executed. Ora especially was one of my favorites and if you give this novel a try, I think you'll quickly see why. The lessons that Calla is able to learn through their lenses, both good and bad, are so vital and important to this story. Honestly, I'd love to learn more about each and every one of them and hope that they all make a reappearance as this series continues.

You won't regret picking this book up. It is absolutely five stars, a ten out of ten. I cannot wait until I can get my hands on the rest of this series.

A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford is the first book in the Golden Court series. Calla and Briar, twins, have been in hiding since birth to stay safe from the evil sorceress who killed their family and demolished their kingdom. A long awaited plan is about to come into fruition with Briar betrothed to Prince Grae to unite their kingdoms and reclaim the throne. Everything goes awry when Calla learns who her fated mate is and this leads to the evil sorceress coming back into the picture and putting Briar to sleep. Readers follow Calla’s journey as she fights to save her sister and reclaim her kingdom, while also learning more about her own identity. She meets a musical troupe along the way and learns that found family can be just as strong as blood family.

This is the first book I’ve by this author, however I have had some of their other books on my TBR for a while. I really enjoyed the fast-paced world building and storyline. It does have a little bit of a sleeping beauty element to it, but it’s so much more than that. It has fated mates and also has a great LGBTQ+ representation! It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster throughout but in the best way. Overall a really fun start to this trilogy and I can’t wait to read the others!

Thank you to NetGalley (@netgalley), the publisher (@harpervoyagerus) and the author (@akmulford) for granting me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book is expected to come out in December 2023.

This book is promising!! I liked it so much that I finished reading it in less than a day!! I honestly think this can be read as a standalone but I want the sequel ASAP!

What this book contains:
- fated mates
- wolf shifters
- childhood friends to lovers
- self-discovery/gender exploration
- found family
- royal politics
- hint of sleeping beauty
- strong FMC
- romantasy w/ spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Pacing & writing style:
- it started fast but slowed down in the middle and picked up again towards the end.
- first pov

What I liked:
- the world building is easy to follow
- majority of the characters are lovable
- Calla & Grae’s relationship is adorable
- Calla’s journey to self-discovery is inspiring

What I wasn’t fond of:
- some of the spicy scenes are written as fillers that seem out of place. I like reading spice but too much random spice just appears weird to me.
- Briar’s rescue… i found it too easy since she just magically appeared in front of them.

Ratings:
4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (HarperCollins), and the author for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure if it was but this seemed like a sleeping beauty retelling. Either way I did enjoy this story. I enjoyed this romantic fantasy and the fact that it wasn’t about fae which tons of stories seem to be lately.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

Official rating: 4.5, rounding up to a 5

Look, I read a lot of wolf books. Fantasy books with wolves and wolf packs are a high ranking top 5 in my favorite reads, and this book was no exception. The inclusion, the identity searching, found family trope...I'm obsessed.

Calla is a young woman who has lived in seclusion with her twin sister her whole life, squirreled away by their guardian since birth who was tasked with protecting the twins by their mother's dying wish. They are the last remaining heirs to the city of Olmdere, a city known for the Golden COurt, who has since been demolished with the twins parents deaths. Little does the world know, but the twins are still alive when the world thinks them dead. Even more secret, the world only knew of Calla's twin sister, Briar's birth, and never Calla, so Calla has lived her whole life knowing she was not the reigning heir and would always live to protect Briar as she was married off into another royal family.

This book weaves a tale of learning to find ones true self outside of the shadow of family, outside of the realm of expectations the world has, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

A.K. Mulford is the ruler of character representation. I love how they write people you want to love. I always feel a connection to the people and never feel like anyone is written to check a box.

Thank you to Netgalley, A.K. Mulford and Harper Collins for the chance to review this book. I give my opinion freely and honestly.

Enchanted by this cover and A.K.'s previous series, I couldn't resist reaching for this ARC when I heard it was available. There's something special about how their stories come to life on the page and the rich, diverse cast that always comes with that. That being said I have some mixed emotions with this book. I think this will be a fun and engaging series but the pacing here felt off for me. This could be my own fault but the pacing was both fast and slow. Through some of the mid section and towards the end I wasn't as engaged. But the beginning and end really hooked me. I loved the shifter aspects and the development of the main character. Also loved Grae straight out of the gate. I do wish we had more banter from them in the beginning but I also understand it didn't really fit in this trope. I still love him. (Is it weird that I want more shifter *action"...like....that's a thing right...?)

Overall, I'll follow the series and encourage anyone who made it this far to continue as well. I have faith that book two is going to bring so much more to this series and I cannot wait.

This felt like a mishmash of things I've seen so often that it was difficult to remain engaged. The writing felt quite contemporary too, so this was just not for me.

A big thank you to NetGalley and AK Mulford for this eArc!

I first need to say that I am a huge fan of AK Mulford’s work and this book is no exception. A River of Golden Bones has the world building, self discovery, found family, romance, and magic that I have come to know, love, and expect from their work. This story is a sleeping beauty retelling where twin wolf shifter sisters need to balance their duty to their pack with their duty to themselves. I am usually not a huge fan of wolf shifter books, but Mulford wove in plenty of pack drama and expectations making it easy to relate to the wolves.

To me, the biggest difference between this book and her other series (The Five Courts of Okrith) is that this storyline does not take place in a predominantly queer normative world despite there being queer characters. This made Calla’s internal journey of self discovery so much more moving because there was not this level of complete outward acceptance on all sides of the community. The politics of the continent that Mulford created is wholly unique, and I have never experienced anything that compares to it. There is an undercurrent of a deeper allegory that carries through the entire book which makes each interaction between the humans, wolves, and between humans and wolves so captivating to read.

I truly did love the book, with my only criticism being that the pacing of the first half of the book feels off. I feel that much of the conflict (of which there is many) that occurred were referenced instead of fully experienced making the actions and emotions of Calla come off as somewhat unjustified. However, this fully resolved itself in the latter half of the book as every detail of each conflict and the aftermath is explored to the fullest degree.

Overall, I will certainly recommend this book, as it only gets better the more you read and there are so many layers to explore within it. Calla and Grae’s romance is breathtaking and Calla’s self discovery is done in such a clever manner!

This book had everything I love in a beautifully written package.
-Fantasy Setting with Fairy Tale Elements
-Romance
-Wolf Shifters
-Fated Mates
-A Strong Main Character with bravery and brains
-Found Family
-Self-Discovery

I was instantly drawn to this reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. Twin heirs in hiding, waiting for their chance to reclaim their stolen throne. Briar is whispered about, known only as the Crimson Princess. Calla is a secret, very few know that the Queen Rose Marriel gave birth to another child before she dies. Protected by their mother's dying wish, the two are about to step into an unknown world of Wolf politics and intrigue.

Prince Grae is their only friend and ally in their new court. He is betrothed to Briar, but Calla can't help but feel drawn to him. The night of the wedding, the sorceress Sawyn returns to curse the Crimson Princess, just like she cursed the Queen Rose years before. Determined to fight for their sister-and their kingdom-Calla sets out alone to defeat Sawyn.

Calla's quest is not only for their sister. The journey across the land is mirrored by a journey of self-discovery as Calla learns that they do not have to fit into a pre-defined role. This book is powerful and moving. And I loved every second of it. Calla feels like a part of me that I was waiting to find. They are strong and smart in a way that felt believable because of their vulnerabilities.

The writing was beautiful but so were the characters. I rarely annotate, but I found myself creating highlight after highlight as I read. There were so many powerful passages that spoke to my soul that I wanted to keep so I could find them again. Calla was my favorite character, but Grae was a close second and nearly everything I highlighted was something one or the other of them said.

This book was the perfect blend of fantasy and romance. I didn't feel like either was sacrificed in service of the other. The pacing was excellent with both adventure and quiet moments. I really can not recommend this book enough. It is one I know I'll be reading again.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have yet to read a book by AK Mulford that I didn’t love! They do such a good job at adding real social issues within a fantasy setting to give these concerns a new perspective to be seen in.
This story is a coming of age/journey to self discovery for the main character Calla. Not only do they have to save their kingdom, but also the fate of their sister lies in the balance. Through the journey back to their kingdom, Calla discovers their true self and uses this self discovery to unite people who were forced apart by years of oppressive rulers. This book features LGBTQ+ and disabled characters.
I would recommend to all who are looking for a low fantasy series and who love inclusivity. The world building in minimal and the magic/fantasy system is basic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for ARC. I received my copy in exchange of an honest review.

A River of Golden Bone is the first book in The Golden Court series by A. K. Mulford. It's a Sleeping Beauty retelling set in a world that Werewolves are in charge!
Well, that was enough for me to fell in love with this book so I requested an ARC. Now let me just say: thank GOD and NetGalley and Publisher for approving my request!
Calla, the main character, is Briar's secret twin, who is the Olmdar's heir. Calla always lived in shadows and no one-not really no one though!- knows about her. But when Sawyn, a wicked sorcerer that curse Calla and Briar's mother some years before, gets back and puts the same Sleeping Curse on Briar, Calla must come out of the shadows and do the one thing that could break Briar's curse; defeating Sawyn and taking back the Olmdare's throne once again.
This book was one of the best fantasy novels with a spicy romance that I read this year.
Calla's journey for saving Briar and Golden Throne was full of excitements. And that self-discovery part was one of the best parts in this book. I liked the way that Calla met Ora, How they connected and How Ora guides Calla to self-discovery.
And about the romance! Yeah!!! I loved our main couple. They're beautiful and sexy and everything I want a main couple to be.
I liked side characters, too. Sadi, Hector, Navin, Ora, Mina and Malou and their friendships with calla. How they supported each other and how they formed a pack of Werewolves and humens to fight together for a better world besides all of their differences.
Actually, I can't remember any other Werewolf books that I liked. So I'm happy that finally we have a fantasy series that focuses on them, not Vampires and Faes and Dragons who are Over-Fucused these days!
I really need book 2 now, specially with that plot twist about Sawyn and the cliffhanger wich makes me restless for next book.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC from the beautiful author. I am a huge fan of AK’s other books so I could not wait for this new series. And my god it did not disappoint. A River of Golden Bones follows Grae (swoon) and Princess/wolf shifter Calla as she embarks on a mission to save her sister and their people from an evil sorceress, while coming to terms with their genderfluidity and exploring their own identity.

This is a spoiler free review so I’ll try to keep this vague, but there were so many tropes in this book that I adore.
- Childhood best friends to lovers
- Flirting by holding a knife to someone’s throat
- Twin sisters who love and support each other even though they are so different
- Queer women being cute and in love with each other
- Wolf shifters and pack dynamics
- Fated mates with telepathic connections
- “Who did this to you?”
- Only one bed, need to share for body heat!
- Found family
- Touch her and die

Top Quotes:
“I was sick of waiting for the promises of men.”
“It hurts not to touch you.”
“I just don’t know that woman is the right word for what I am.”

Imagine every version of sleeping beauty combined into one (but especially the earliest version, The Sun The Moon and Talia), but the nobles are wolf shifters and fated mates exist.

Everything A. K. Mulford writes is exquisite and this is no exception. The representation, the self discovery, it’s all immaculate. I do think that the villain was killed a little too easily, but I’m looking forward to more of the political scheming in book 2.

An enchanting, immersive, and fast-paced story! The River of Golden Bones is one of my top romantic fantasy reads of 2023. Lovers of Fourth Wing and Sarah J Maas are going to adore this novel!

I absolutely DEVOURED this book and was so enamored with it that I lost all sense of time and space while doing so. The writing is superb and fast-paced throughout. A.K Mulford does a phenomenal job of providing immersive world-building without dragging the story out or creating any slow/boring parts in the book. Our main character is a badass, gender-fluid, wolf shifter queen who finds their place in the world while on a mission to reclaim their homeland from a wicked sorceress. I found myself relating to them often - their struggles with feeling out of place in the world and not knowing who they truly were (outside of who everyone else wanted them to be) hit home for me.

This book HAS IT ALL - childhood friends to lovers, fated mates, touch her and you die, a hint of fairytale retelling, found family, ample amounts of suspense and SPICE, and so much more! I promise you won't regret picking this one up.